Back to: Harry Potter » Notebooks and Letters

Final Year, Chapter 14 – Malfoy Manor

From the Journal of Hermione Granger – January 4/5 (nighttime)

The past few hours have been utterly chaotic. We’ve finally gone to bed but no one can sleep. I’m lying on my side trying to organize my thoughts enough to record what happened. Harry’s behind me with his arm wrapped around me, offering suggestions.

After Ron arrived there was quite a bit of shouting until Bill took charge. He decided that we’d apparate back to the Burrow to do whatever we could. I added that we needed to be careful since some of us were still wanted by the Ministry, and that Aurors would eventually show up, if they weren’t there already. So Harry and I stayed under his invisibility cloak, and Fred and George took along their invisibility hats. That left Bill, Fleur, and Ron to interact with any DMLE people we encountered.

There really wasn’t much we could do. No one was there when we arrived, so Bill and Fleur retrieved the bodies of Mr. and Mrs. Weasley while the rest of us checked the place over. To their credit, they put up a pretty good fight. The Death Eaters must have taken their dead and wounded with them, but it was pretty apparent that there were more than a few.

In addition to the Dark Mark we found a message burned into the side of the house. One word – POTTER – in large letters. The meaning was pretty clear. Voldemort hasn’t been able to get at Harry any other way, so he’s trying to get to him by going after his friends and strongest supporters. That could also be why Ginny and Luna were taken prisoner (besides the other obvious reason, that they’re young, attractive females).

When the Aurors finally arrived, Bill dealt with them while Fleur took charge of transporting Mr. and Mrs. Weasley to St. Mungo’s. She showed some real inner strength – Harry and I could hardly bear to look at them. They’ll remain there until the burial arrangements can be made. (There are no undertakers in the wizarding world, since anyone can cast preservative charms.) But no one is thinking about that right now. Everyone’s focus is on what happened to Ginny and Luna and how to get them back.

Ron went with some of the Aurors to the Lovegoods, where he described what he’d found there. The scene was the same, even including the message burned into the wall. I’m impressed that Ron held up as well as he did – no rants or screams of rage at all. At least until we got home. Then everyone could let it out.

Before the Aurors left they told Bill that the Longbottoms had also been attacked, but unsuccessfully. Their manor perhaps had better protections on it, but in any case Neville and his grandmother managed to hold them off until they could escape. (Note added later – Mrs. Longbottom had an ‘illegal’ emergency escape portkey.)

Another important piece of information – the floos at all three houses had been blocked. That means Voldemort has a sympathizer inside the Department of Magical Transportation. That’s not too surprising, since that’s the department that Thicknesse headed before he became Minister.

When we all got back to Bill’s there was a lot of anguish and grief, tears, screaming, and vows of retribution, but eventually it became obvious that there was nothing more we could do for now. Bill used Hedwig to send a note to Charlie. We’ll tell Remus tomorrow when he calls in on his mirror. We don’t dare call him on it because he might be undercover somewhere.

Time to try to get some sleep. I suspect we’re all going to need Pepper Up potions in the morning.

The debate the next morning picked up where it left off the night before. Fred and George wanted to go blow something up, and Ron was right with them. The only thing stopping them was the lack of an obvious target. Hermione had a feeling that it wouldn’t be long before they’d just pick a known Death Eater home and attack it. When she mentioned this to Harry at one point, he just nodded. He was inclined to go along with them if they did.

Hermione, Fleur, and Tonks (when she was able to make herself heard – she didn’t really have the strength to engage in a long, drawn out shouting match at this point in her recovery) argued that they couldn’t go off half cocked and without any plan or purpose other than revenge. It finally fell to Bill to restrain his brothers, as he supported the women’s viewpoint – for the time being. The most persuasive argument was that this course of action was likely to just get Ginny and Luna killed.

When Remus finally checked in and was quickly informed of the attacks and abductions, he also cautioned restraint. At that advice, Fred grumbled that it was easy for ‘them’ (meaning Remus and the women) to sit back and do nothing – it wasn’t their sister who was likely being tortured and raped. This very nearly got him hexed by Fleur before Bill managed to pull her from the room.

At this point Harry stepped up and shoved Fred down into a chair. Hermione had gone pale and was about to shout something back at Fred herself when she caught the look in Harry’s eyes and fell silent. A second later everyone else saw it too. George, who had been about to step up in support of his twin, backed off, and Ron shifted uncomfortably. All of them had seen that look of pent up rage in Harry before, and none had any desire to be the target of it.

“Don’t you ever think,” Harry snarled in a low voice that was even more effective than if he’d shouted. “That any of us don’t care about Ginny or Luna. Everyone here wants desperately to get them back. And if you have any ideas of how we can do that, let’s hear them. But as long as there’s a chance of getting them back alive we can’t do anything that would bollix that up.”

It went without saying what he was trying to avoid. Everyone present remembered well the disaster at the Department of Mysteries that had cost Sirius his life, for which Harry still blamed himself for rushing into an unknown situation without any sort of plan.

No one even considered challenging Harry on this, and some semblance of order was restored to the room. Hermione moved over to the table where Tonks was sitting and worked with her at generating a list of potential sites where the girls might be being held. Fred and George busied themselves with brainstorming which deadly pranks might be useful in a rescue mission, while Harry tried to calm down Ron, who was growing increasingly more agitated over Fred’s comment about rape and torture.

By midmorning, after the initial energy that had been channeled into making preparations had started to wear off, and despair was beginning to take over, the situation took an abrupt turn when Kreacher popped into the room. As everyone shot to their feet and wands were drawn, he quickly handed a parchment to Harry, bowed, and popped away.

Hermione was immediately at his side. “What’s it say?” she demanded, as Harry opened it up. Rather than answer, he spread it out on the table and everyone crowded around to look.

May flo
Roman

key soul ale

“It’s another message from Snape!” Ron shouted. Hermione merely nodded as she’d already reached for a quill and another piece of parchment, and was hurriedly rearranging letters. In a few seconds she had the first two words.

“Malfoy Manor!” Harry called out, looking over her shoulder. With another glance back at the original parchment, everyone quickly concurred with this analysis. Fred and George immediately moved away from the table and went back to their stash of materials, and Ron began pacing back and forth. It was clear that the three of them were ready to move out now.

“Wait,” Tonks hissed, turning from her seat next to Hermione. “We still need a plan. And there’s more to the message.” Growling in frustration, the trio of Weasleys threw themselves onto a sofa and glared at her.

“The next part’s trickier,” Hermione complained. “If we follow the pattern he’s been using in the other messages, it should be one word but …” She frowned and tried something else. “Hang on, I’ve got it. It’s three words.” She jotted them down and pushed the parchment over to Harry.

“All you seek,” he read in a low voice. Then he looked at Hermione as he passed the parchment to Tonks and Fleur. “Do you think …?” Hermione nodded.

“Besides Ginny and Luna, either Bellatrix or her vault key is there, or both,” she concluded.

The discussion turned contentious once more. While it was obvious to everyone present that this was a trap designed to lure Harry to Malfoy Manor to be captured, Ron, Fred and George didn’t care. They argued that Harry should stay behind but that shouldn’t stop them. Bill put his foot down and declared that getting themselves killed wouldn’t bring their parents back, or save Ginny. Ron bitterly asked if he would be arguing this way if it were Fleur who was being held prisoner. While Bill and Ron went toe to toe, Harry and Hermione exchanged a desperate look, wondering what each of their responses would be to that question about the other.

After Bill and Ron calmed down, Fleur wondered if they even knew where Malfoy Manor was, and the twins assured her that its location was well known; their father had raided the place more than once searching for dark objects. Tonks tried to suggest that they wait for Remus to return, but the Weasley boys weren’t willing to wait that long – it would take more than a full day for him to make his way back from Russia, with all of the international apparation points he needed to go through.

“At the least we need a diversion of some sort to give the main attack force a chance,” Hermione maintained.

“Do you have any way to contact Snape?” Fleur asked her as they stood together, a bit outside of the main conversation. Hermione shook her head as Harry joined them.

“No, but you’re right that we really need someone inside, who’s familiar with the house, so we don’t waste our time searching through the whole place,” she agreed. Suddenly Harry’s head snapped up.

“Dobby!” he shouted.

The response was nearly instantaneous. By the time everyone else in the room had turned to look at Harry the little house elf had appeared before him.

“Harry Potter called Dobby? What can Dobby be doing for Harry Potter today?”

“Dobby, you’re a lifesaver!” Harry declared, dropping to his knees and hugging his small friend. “Do you know where the Malfoys would keep someone prisoner in their house?” Dobby’s normally bulging eyes grew even wider, but then he nodded. Everyone held their breath in excited anticipation as Harry asked the next question. “Can you get us into there, without anyone knowing?”

Trembling, Dobby hesitated for a few seconds before answering. Later, in retrospect, those present would realize that should have been an indication that something was wrong. The insanely loyal house elf had always responded instantly and eagerly to anything Harry asked of him.

Finally, the former Malfoy bonded elf answered solemnly. “Yes. Dobby can do that. Dobby will do it for the great wizard Harry Potter.”

Slowly – too slowly for Ron, Fred, and George – the rescue plan took shape. Fleur didn’t want Bill to go, and Bill didn’t want her to go. Likewise for Harry and Hermione. Bill decided that he would be most effective on the outside, probing the wards. This would appear to be in preparation for the main assault and would serve as a distraction to divert attention from the infiltrators. Fleur insisted that she would accompany him. Both agreed that they would bug out at any sign of trouble. Ron gave Bill his communication mirror, so the inside group could signal when they needed him to make his presence known.

Harry convinced Hermione that this was an opportunity to confront Snape, and that he might be needed to help retrieve the vault key. There was also the fact that Dobby was doing this for him alone. Hermione didn’t even try to convince Harry that she should go along. She just put her foot down and declared that there was no way she could let him go into danger without being by his side. Given the number of times in the past that her help had made the difference between success and failure, Harry couldn’t deny her. Tonks tried to claim that she had to accompany them, but no one was willing to allow that, as she could barely stay on her feet for the amount of time that would be required, much less fight effectively.

 

Harry, Hermione, Ron, Fred, George, and Dobby popped into existence in a dark musty room below Malfoy Manor and were immediately greeted by a female voice that cried out in terror. The five humans quickly turned in the direction of the noise while Dobby dropped to his knees from the exertion of transporting the group. While he struggled to regain his strength the first voice broke into hysterical sobs while a different voice called out.

“Who’s there?”

“Luna! Is that you?” Ron answered excitedly. “Ginny?” Hermione lit her wand tip as the five rescuers hurried toward the captives, only to be brought up short when the glow from her wand brought them into view. Luna, completely naked, was sitting up against the wall of the cellar while Ginny, also naked but for two torn scraps of fabric wrapped around her top and bottom in an inadequate attempt to protect her modesty, was curled up in her lap still whimpering.

Fred and George awkwardly averted their gaze while Ron struggled with wanting to rush up to see if Luna and his sister were all right but not wanting to further embarrass them. Hermione didn’t hesitate, and quickly transfigured each scrap of fabric into a blanket, then knelt down and pulled Ginny away from Luna so that each girl could be covered up. As soon as he saw what she was doing Ron joined her and pulled Luna into a hug as soon as she had the blanket around her, while Hermione did the same for Ginny.

Harry, when he saw that Hermione had this situation under control, took a quick look around the rest of the cellar, and soon spotted another body huddled against a different wall. He cautiously approached the unmoving figure and determined that it was an old man who was alive, but just barely. An illumination spell provided his identity – Ollivander, the wand maker who’d disappeared a year and a half previously.

While Hermione murmured words of comfort to Ginny, who gradually started to calm down, she began to analyze the situation in the underground prison. The two girls had been stripped, and by the looks of them beaten, at the least, and then dumped here. Luna, being somewhat more accustomed to nudity, and being the more coherent of the two, had given Ginny what little covering was available, and had attempted as best she could to take care of her friend.

At this point Luna pulled herself away from Ron (though still remaining within his grasp) and explained what had happened. In an eerily detached voice, she described how the two girls had been brought down here and kept in the dark for a while, then taken upstairs where the resident Death Eaters had amused themselves by ripping their clothing off, a piece at a time. Once they were completely naked they’d been subjected to leers, taunts and quite explicit declarations of what was going to happen to them, while also being pinched, poked, and prodded with wands. They’d even gone so far as to spread Ginny’s legs apart and speculate on how tight she’d be. After some time this eventually escalated to stinging and then bludgeoning hexes. When the pair of them were nearly unconscious, they’d been brought back down and dumped once more.

“So … Ron asked hesitantly, “they didn’t …?”

“They haven’t raped us yet, no,” Luna responded calmly. “This is the humiliation part. I believe they intend to break our spirit first. That way there’s less chance of us injuring one of them either by fighting back or through an accidental magic release while they’re …” She was cut off as Ginny burst into sobs again and Ron tightened his grip.

“But you’re gonna be OK now,” he assured her. Luna finally let her self-control slip a bit and relaxed into his arms. Meanwhile Hermione soothed Ginny once again, and the petite redhead stopped crying and took several deep breaths.

“All right then?” Hermione whispered to her. Ginny nodded.

“I was just so scared,” she tried to explain. “Luna kept saying you guys would come for us but …” Hermione nodded in return as she rubbed the younger girl’s back, and Ginny gradually gathered her wits. Then Hermione stood up and let Fred take hold of his sister, and walked over to Harry who was waiting patiently as everyone worked things out. He took her hand and gave it a hard squeeze. They weren’t out of the woods yet.

“You guys still going through with the rest of it?” Fred asked Harry as he helped Ginny to her feet. Ron whispered briefly to Luna as George stood by to take her from him.

Harry nodded and turned to Dobby, frowning at his pale appearance. “Dobby, can you …?” he asked with some concern. The loyal house elf stepped forward determinedly.

“Dobby is being ready to do his part,” he affirmed.

“Well, then take these four this trip and we’ll bring Ollivander on the next one,” Harry decided, pulling out his communication mirror. “Bill? We got in all right and have Luna and Ginny. Fred and George are bringing them out to you. Everything OK on your end?”

“All clear out here,” Bill responded. “Just let us know when you need us to get their attention.”

The two witches and two wizards took hold of Dobby, and disappeared with a much louder pop. Harry, Ron, and Hermione exchanged uneasy looks. “That didn’t sound good,” Ron commented as they all listened for sounds from the floor above that might indicate that they’d been detected. Hoping it wasn’t too late, Hermione quickly cast a silencing charm.

A few seconds later Dobby popped back in, and they knew immediately that something was very wrong, as he collapsed like a puppet with its strings cut.

“Dobby!” Harry gasped as he dropped to his knees at the prone figure of his small friend and gathered him into his arms. “What’s wrong? What happened to you?”

Dobby opened his eyes and looked sadly up at Harry. “Dobby is sorry, Harry Potter sir. Dobby was not strong enough. Dobby is not being able to finish his task.”

“Dobby, no! Hang on! You’ll be OK!” Harry pleaded as the house elf closed his eyes again. Hermione knelt behind Harry and wrapped her arms around him, not knowing what else to do, while Ron stood watching with his eyes wide.

Dobby took several halting breaths and managed to open his eyes once more. “Is honor … for Dobby … to give his life … for great wizard … Harry Potter.”

“NO!” Harry was shaking as he took great heaving breaths, and Hermione had tears streaming down her face. Gently laying Dobby’s unmoving frame back down, he stood up again, disbelief on his face. Everything had been going perfectly, and now … how were they going to get Dobby to a healer? How were they even going to get out of here?

“Kreacher!” Harry suddenly called out. With a loud crack that made the three teens wince, Kreacher appeared with a questioning look on his face.

“What are master’s orders?” he inquired in his usual raspy voice.

“Kreacher, what’s wrong with Dobby? Can you help him?” Kreacher’s head snapped back in surprise as he took in the still form lying before him, then he shook his head.

“Is nothing that can be done. Disgraced elf Dobby has betrayed former master’s secrets. House elf magic not permit this.” The grief-stricken teens sagged back against the wall as they realized what had happened, that Dobby had just sacrificed himself, knowing that he would not survive the task they had asked of him.

“Can you take us out of here,” Harry asked hopefully, but not expecting a positive response. Kreacher shook his head again. “House elves cannot take wizards through other wizards’ wards, only in the house they is being bonded to.”

“Can you take Dobby, then?” Hermione asked quickly, noting the distinction Kreacher had made. This time the ancient house elf nodded.

“Then take him to the Hogwarts hospital wing, as fast as you can,” Harry all but shouted. Kreacher gave him a look that told him he was wasting his time, but nodded to acknowledge his master’s order. He stooped to pick up his fellow elf, and then disappeared with another loud crack.

The three teens stood staring into the empty space where the elves had been, stunned at the disastrous turn of events, before finally pulling themselves together.

“What are we going to do now?” Ron asked.

Harry and Hermione stared up at the ceiling, wondering if their enemies had detected their presence. “Figure out how to make contact with Snape, I reckon,” Harry decided hesitantly. “There’s no chance of apparating out of this cellar, I suppose …” Ron and Hermione shook their heads, agreeing with his assessment. “… and I doubt it’ll be easy to find an unsecured floo connection. So let’s hide ourselves and get going. Everyone have some decoy detonators?”

The other two agreed and Ron activated his Invisibility Hat while Hermione joined Harry under the cloak. Just then they heard the sounds they’d been dreading – footsteps coming down the stairs to investigate – and they immediately extinguished their lit wand tips.

“I told you, I thought I heard something,” Draco Malfoy’s voice sounded just before the door flew open and four dark shapes entered the room. A muttered incantation caused the lights to come up and reveal Snape, Crabbe, and Goyle flanking the scion of the manor.

“They’re gone!” Malfoy shrieked, as Crabbe and Goyle looked around the room in confusion. “I knew something was going on down here! How could they have escaped?” Angrily, he turned to storm back up the stairs, but Snape stopped him.

“It was Potter,” he hissed. “I’m certain of it. He’s the one we set this trap for, and he fell for it, just sooner and in a different way than we expected.” He raised his voice. “Potter! I know you’re in here! Show yourself!”

Harry and Hermione held their breaths under the cloak, both trying to decide if this was part of Snape’s plan, or if they should stay hidden. Snape finished a slow turn, taking in every corner of the dark musty room and then raised his wand. “No matter. We can easily determine if he’s still here. Homenem …”

Before he could finish the revealing spell, Harry threw off the cloak, reasoning that if he finished the incantation all three of them would be detected, but this way Ron could remain hidden.

“Well, well, Mr. Potter,” the dark eyed potions master sneered. “We finally meet again. Expelliarmus !” He had never lowered his wand, and the disarming spell caught Harry and Hermione by surprise. Their wands flew into the air and Snape effortlessly caught them.

“You’ve been quite an irritation to the Dark Lord lately,” he continued in a venomous tone. “But we knew you couldn’t resist playing the hero once again.” His eyes turned to Hermione, who stared defiantly back at him, hoping it was all an act. “And you were even foolish enough to bring the mudblood along with you … for our entertainment .” He turned to the three Slytherins waiting slightly behind him, who were still amazed that Potter could be standing there in front of them. “Take her upstairs and prepare her. I do believe you may be in for a … gratifying afternoon. Pity that Granger and Potter won’t enjoy it nearly as much.”

Harry and Hermione shared a desperate look as Crabbe and Goyle stepped forward. This had always been Harry’s worst fear – even more than his own death – Hermione captured and subjected to unspeakable evil at the hands of the Death Eaters. They had time for no more than a quick hand squeeze as the two hulking Slytherins each seized one of Hermione’s arms, roughly jerking her through the door and up the stairs. Malfoy shot Harry a lewd smirk and turned to follow them.

“Oh, and send Pettigrew down, Draco,” Snape added before he was out of sight. “He and I will have an interesting conversation with Potter while we wait for you to have your fun with the mudblood.”

While Snape was addressing Malfoy, Harry took the opportunity to dart his eyes to where Ron had been, then shot a glance to the stairs, silently urging him to follow Hermione. He knew Snape had something in mind, but was fearful of what might happen to the love of his life while the potion master’s scenario played out.

As soon as the door closed, Harry rounded on Snape. “Is it here? How are we going to get it?”

“Patience, Mr. Potter,” the oily former professor chided with a derisive sneer. Then he flicked his wand, conjuring a chair behind Harry. Another silent gesture and Harry was forced to sit on it, and with a final twirl he was bound and tied to the chair, but with his arms free. “You are going to persuade Wormtail to provide us with some assistance.”

Pettigrew appeared in the doorway and entered, darting anxious looks between the two wizards. Sounds of a struggle taking place in the room above distracted Harry for a moment before he noticed Snape motioning him to go ahead.

“Peter, I need your help,” he began. Pettrigrew merely stared at him as though he were daft. “You owe me,” Harry continued his argument. “I saved your life.”

The rat-like man’s beady eyes widened in fear as he processed this declaration. A scream from above distracted Harry and he gritted his teeth, trying not to think about what was happening to Hermione. But the interruption enabled Pettigrew to come up with a counter.

“No, you were going to send me to the dementors instead,” he whined. “I escaped on my own that night.”

“I stopped Remus and Sirius from killing you,” Harry insisted. “If I hadn’t you never would have got the opportunity to escape.”

“Oh, just get it over with,” Snape hissed. “ Imperio !” Pettigrew’s eyes immediately clouded over. “Change into your animagus form and search Bellatrix’s room until you find her Gringotts vault key, then bring it to us.”

As soon as the rat-faced man had gone to carry out his orders Snape turned back to Harry. “Quickly, we don’t have much time! How many of the others have you found?”

“All of them,” Harry responded. “This is the last one.” Snape’s dark eyes widened dramatically; he had clearly not expected Harry to have been so successful. But their conversation was interrupted by another scream from Hermione. Harry gritted his teeth as he recognized the distinctive sound of unbearable agony, the product of the Cruciatus curse. This elicited another sneer from Snape.

“How are we going to get her away from them?” Harry demanded. “We have to get out of here as soon as Wormtail gets back.”

“Ah, but there is where you are mistaken, Potter,” Snape smirked, clearly enjoying Harry’s torment. “You seem to be under the impression that you are in charge here. You see, unless you do exactly as I say, your mudblood lover will die.”

“What!” Harry screamed. “You’re supposed to be helping us! You took a vow!”

“I vowed to aid you in defeating the Dark Lord, and to do whatever I could to keep you alive until you face him,” the black-robed, black-haired Slytherin corrected smugly. “Then I will finally be free of both of my masters. But there is nothing in my vow about keeping Granger alive.”

“But I need her help to defeat him,” Harry argued desperately.

“On the contrary, I suspect that her death will provide an even greater impetus,” Snape countered nastily. “But it need not happen if you only follow my instructions.”

Harry slumped back, temporarily stymied. Snape held all the cards and he knew it. “What do I have to do?”

The potions master reached into his robes and drew out a stoppered flask with a shimmery substance inside. “First, here are some memories that you will need. I believe that you will discover that Albus did not always have your best interests at heart. But you will also learn what else must be done.”

He then withdrew a vial from another pocket. “And you will drink this,” he declared, this time in a tone of utter malice.

Harry tucked the flask of memories away in his mokeskin pouch, but was taken aback at the sound of Snape’s voice. “What will it do to me?”

Snape’s face darkened even further. “It will make you suffer as I have, by destroying everything you love.”

“What! How?” Harry sputtered. “And why should I take it if it’s going to kill Hermione and my other friends anyway?”

“Let me explain exactly what our friends upstairs have planned for you, Potter,” the dark man hissed. “Once the Dark Lord has been notified that you have been ensnared in our trap, it will take him several hours to return. In the meantime you will provide a great deal of amusement for them. They’ll torture Granger for a while, and then take turns having their way with her while you are forced to watch. After they’re finished with her they’ll kill her in a most painful manner.” He smiled in grim satisfaction at the dismay and horror that enveloped Harry’s face.

Then he added, “It’s too bad Weasley’s not here, or they could use him as well. It would be a variation of their favorite tactic for breaking a man. First they rape his wife, multiple times, in front of him. Then they put him under Imperius and force him to rape his own daughter, while his wife watches. Then they kill both the wife and daughter. More times than not, the man will take his own life rather than live with that knowledge. With any luck Weasley would do the same once he realized what they’d made him do to Granger.”

Snape smirked again as Harry fought back the bile rising up in his throat. “Now, Potter, your father stole the only thing I ever loved, and I hated him with every part of my being. Then you showed up and forced me to remember what I’d lost every time I looked at you, you with your mother’s eyes on your father’s face. Now at last I will have my revenge! I’ve spent months perfecting this potion. Once the Dark Lord is gone, if you survive, it will destroy your memories of everything you love, leaving you with nothing but hate. The same way I have been forced to live for the past twenty years!”

Harry wanted to argue back, to tell Snape that it was his own fault, that he’d driven his mother away with his own actions and attitudes. But if the evil git hadn’t admitted that to himself by this time he never would. But what should he do now? Taking this potion would destroy the life he and Hermione had hoped to have. But at least she would still be alive. There was really no choice at all. He had to sacrifice his love for her life.

He swallowed the potion. He had never hated another person as much as he hated Snape right then. He vowed to himself that he’d kill him as soon as everything was over.

Soon Pettigrew returned with the precious Gringotts vault key, which Harry added to his secret pouch. He turned back to the traitorous rat. “Thank you Peter. I release you from your life debt. If you want to leave Voldemort’s service, you’re free to go.”

Pettigrew just stared at him for a moment, then backed away slowly, shooting suspicious looks back and forth between the other two wizards. Then he turned and raced for the steps. He never made it, as a red beam of light slammed into his back and he fell unconscious to the floor.

“Stupid Gryffindor!” Snape spat at Harry as he levitated Pettigrew out of the doorway and bound him securely. “Once you released him from his debt there’s no telling what he’d do. We can’t afford the risk.” Come on now, they’re probably waiting for us. Wait for my signal before you attack.” He handed Harry both his wand and Hermione’s and turned away.

“Wait!” Harry insisted. “There’s one more thing we need to do.” Snape turned back in irritation as Harry reached into his mokeskin pouch again.

“What now, Potter?” he complained impatiently. Then his eyes reflected his surprise as he recognized the wand Harry pulled out of the pouch. “What are you doing with Albus Dumbledore’s wand?” he demanded.

“You have your secrets, I have mine,” Harry retorted. “All you need to know is that this is important and it’s part of Dumbledore’s plan. Your vow forces you to follow it, right?”

“I …” Snape glared at Harry, but the Gryffindor teen stood his ground. “All right, what is it?” he snapped.

“You hold onto this wand, and I’ll pretend to break free and disarm you. Then you’ll still have your own wand to fight with.” He handed the Elder Wand to his nemisis, who hesitated, but took it. “And I’ll decide when we go.” Before Snape could object he pulled out his communication mirror.

“Bill, are you still there?” he asked as the mirror activated.

“Right here Harry,” Bill responded quickly. “What’s going on? We’ve been getting worried.”

“We ran into a bit of trouble, but we have the key. Now we need a diversion. Give us twenty seconds, then start trying to bring down the wards.”

 

Hermione fought with all her willpower to supress the rising panic she was experiencing. The two Cruciatus curses had left her throat raw, her nerve endings fried, and her body limp. She was fully aware that it was just part of the softening up process, as they methodically stripped away her clothing, her dignity, and her will to resist.

Right then she envied Luna’s ability to withdraw into her mind, leaving the outside world behind. To set herself apart from reality. The odd Ravenclaw had been through this nightmare a few hours ago, and successfully emerged with her wits and her dignity intact. As her clothing was stripped away bit by bit, Hermione tried to ignore what was happening and focus on how she would react when the tables were turned. She simply had to assume that they would indeed turn eventually.

She closed her eyes and attempted to convince herself that she’d already been through something similar, being naked in front of a stranger, and she’d dealt with it just fine. It wasn’t quite the same, but it was something to grasp onto.

Her eyes shot open when a stinging hex impacted on her bare bum. No, her tormentors had no intention of allowing her to close her eyes and ignore them. Hermione tried not to pay attention to what they were saying, but couldn’t avoid the comments completely.

“A bit more meat on this ’un … better tits, that’s fer sure … a bigger arse, too … hey Crabbe, you like em big, bet you can’t wait to get into this one!” Raucous laughter ensued.

Hermione choked back a cry of dismay. So they were going to rape her! She tried to relax her muscles that had tensed up, painfully tight, at that thought by repeating a mantra over and over in her mind. Stay alive. Whatever it takes. Stay alive. Help is on the way.

“So we are gonna have a go at her?” Goyle asked. “Thought it was too dangerous.”

“Come on, haven’t you wanted to put this mudblood bitch in her place for years?” Draco taunted his dormmate. “We’ll just stun her first.”

Stay alive. Help is on the way. Stay alive. Once more Hermione tried to focus on what she would do once she was free. She began to prioritize her targets, and slowly her panic abated and her stomach, which had been threatening to empty itself, relaxed somewhat.

Right up until Goyle grabbed her breast.

 

Ron fought back an overwhelming urge to start cursing every Death Eater in sight, forcing himself to bide his time, waiting for the right moment to strike back. He’d bit his lip to keep from crying out when Hermione had been Crucioed , and the metallic taste of blood lingered in his mouth. He’d also turned away so he didn’t have to watch when they’d started stripping her clothing off, but he couldn’t shut off his ears, and so had to endure their disgusting remarks. He could only imagine what she might be going through just then, and struggled to keep himself from thinking about how Luna had been in a similar situation prior to their arrival. His only consolation was that Hermione and Luna were the toughest minded women he knew. If anyone could survive this experience, they could.

He’d not quite decided at what point he’d drop his cover and intervene, but so far she was keeping it together so he could wait a bit longer. He desperately hoped that Harry and Snape would join them soon. He fervently hoped that Harry would understand later why he’d held back. While staying alert to what was happening to Hermione, he carefully noted the situation in the rest of the room. After he’d snuck up the stairs following Malfoy, he’d quietly made his way to the opposite side of the room and was currently crouching out of the way, next to a statue of a lightly clad woman pouring water into a pool.

Apparently all of the Death Eaters in the mansion were gathering here to witness the spectacle, the sick bastards. Many of them were clustered in a sitting area at one end of the lavishly appointed drawing room (more like a small ballroom, Ron thought). Others were standing in the center of the room beneath an elaborate crystal chandelier that had once presided over a long dining table, now pushed up against one wall to clear out more space for the ‘entertainment’. Hermione was also there, spread out on display on a raised platform. At the opposite end of the room Bellatrix was holding court with the most senior Death Eaters present, Lucius Malfoy, Macnair, Avery, and Nott. The elder Crabbe and Goyle were with the group gawking at Hermione, cheering their sons on.

Ron had already deployed his decoy detonators, sending them into the sitting area with the largest concentration of enemies, where they’d do the most damage. These were the twins’ most advanced model, and were set to explode only when he jabbed his wand in their direction. Once the fighting started, he knew he’d have to start casting spells as fast as he could, before his opponents could recover from the initial blast.

During the long months living in the tent, Hermione had insisted that he practice his nonverbal spellcasting. He had decided that instead of trying to learn to do it with as many spells as possible, like she had, he would focus on mastering two or three, being able to cast them with both speed and power. Now all the work would pay off, as he intended to cause as much havoc as possible.

Hermione’s shriek drew his attention back in her direction, and he flinched once more as he saw Goyle squeezing her breast with such vigor that it would be certain to leave a bruise. Not sure if he could stand this treatment of his best female friend any longer, he braced himself and raised his wand, gritting his teeth at the roar of laughter Goyle’s assault generated.

“Just control yourself a bit longer,” Malfoy snickered, “we have to wait until Potter gets here. Besides, I’m going first.” He looked around at his leering comrades and made a decision. “Tell you what, drag her over and bend her over the table. That way I won’t have to look at her ugly face.”

Crabbe and Goyle obediently each took one of Hermione’s arms, and forced her chest down onto the polished tabletop, so that her bottom was exposed to everyone’s view. Two other Death Eaters grabbed her legs and forced them apart as Malfoy shrugged off his robes and pulled down his trousers and underpants, then began to stroke himself.

Hermione struggled with all her might, but to no avail. If she could only get one of her feet free, she wished desparately, she might be able to kick Malfoy between the legs before he could force his way into her.

Just then Harry entered the room being held at wandpoint by Snape, and seconds later all hell broke loose.

A loud alarm sounded as Bill began breaking through the outer wards outside the mansion. Taking their cue, Ron and Harry both acted instantly. As Ron set off his detonators, Harry cast a nonverbal Expelliarmus on Snape, catching the Elder Wand expertly as everyone else turned toward the sound of the explosions at the end of the room. Without wasting a second, Harry then cast one of the spells from Dumbledore’s notes that he’d been practicing for just such an occasion – a wide area Stunning hex – at the group of wizards gathered around Hermione.

When Dumbledore had cast it in his office back in fifth year, when he was being threatened with arrest by Fudge, the silvery streak had flashed around the room and knocked everyone unconscious. Since Harry wasn’t as powerful as Dumbledore, his only knocked them off their feet, dazing them briefly. Fortunately Hermione, who had rolled off the table and dropped to the floor as soon as she’d been released, wasn’t hit. As she scrambled to her feet Harry threw her wand to her, then turned to the last group of Death Eaters and began a furious assault.

This was the most dangerous group, and he promptly targetted the biggest threat first – BellatrixLestrange. She was also the first to react, and had already spotted what he was doing.

“Sectumsempra!” While Bellatrix was prepared to block whatever he threw at her, she never expected such a dark hex from the light side hero, and it caught her completely by surprise. Although she managed to duck to the side, the slashing hex sliced through her right arm, carving a deep gash from her shoulder to her elbow, laying it open like a piece of meat under a butcher’s knife. She screamed and staggered back, her wand dropping from her now useless hand. But by this time Harry had already turned his attention to the rest of her group.

Over by the statue, Ron was not immediately detected in all of the confusion, no one noticing right away that spells were coming from more than direction. On the opposite side of the room from Harry, he first poured an array of stunners and reductor curses into the carnage created by the decoy detonators, until not a single Death Eater was left standing. Then, not wanting to risk firing into the central crowd for fear of hitting Hermione, he began to engage the same targets Harry was fighting, catching them in a withering crossfire.

For Hermione, it was now payback time. Upon catching her wand from Harry, she immediately began hexing everything near her. Heedless of her lack of clothing, she never stopped moving, firing an incredible variety of spells, all of them nonverbal, at an amazing rate. None of her opponents could figure out what was coming next.

Her first target was Draco Malfoy, and she ensured that he would never sexually assault anyone again. Her first hex disarmed him and threw him across the table he’d just had her pinned against, and her second was aimed directly at his groin. Confringo! Every male in the vicinity, most of whom were still staggering to their feet from Harry’s wide area stunner, winced as Draco screamed in agony before promptly passing out.

The sight of a naked witch bouncing around firing spells was distracting enough to the lower level Death Eaters, who were more used to having their prey lying helpless before them, that their reaction times were slowed significantly. Try as they might, they were unable to land anything substantial on this fully exposed woman.

Finally the ones who had not yet fallen to her hexes gathered together for a unified attack. But Hermione was still one step ahead of them. Jumping up to the top of the table, she cast yet another explosion hex, not into their waiting shields, but at the base of the chandelier above them. Expulso! The chandelier crashed into the massed Death Eaters in a shower of crystal shards, pinning them to the floor and shredding them with flying fragments of glass.

For his part, Snape collected himself at the base of the wall that Potter’s overpowered disarming hex had hurled him against, and stumbled to the other end of the room, cursing the existence of impetuous Gryffindors. He still hadn’t figured out what Potter was doing with Dumbledore’s wand, but had to admit, if only to himself, that having Potter disarm him, while still permitting him to retain his own wand, was a useful tactic. He briefly regarded Granger and her obscene display, and decided she didn’t need or deserve his aid, finally reasoning that he would be most effective by securing the room so that no onecould escape. Accordingly, he crouched down near the door and began to pick off his fellow Death Eaters who were still pulling themselves from the wreckage Weasley had created.

Back at the other end of the room, Nott and Avery had fallen, along with Bellatrix, but Malfoy and Macnair remained, backed against the fireplace. Their battle with Harry and Ron was at a standstill; the two Gryffindors couldn’t get anything past the shields of the experienced Death Eaters, and with their opponents firing at them from right angles, the older pair couldn’t catch a free moment to strike a decisive offensive blow. Finally, mimicking Hermione’s successful attack on Nagini at Godric’s Hollow, Harry fired a Reductor curse into the fireplace behind them.

As the flaming debris from the exploding hearth caught them from behind, both wizards were momentarily distracted from their shielding by their burning robes, and Harry and Ron quickly knocked them out. Without pausing to catch their breaths, they both spun anxiously toward the sound of the crashing chandelier. Harry immediately leaped onto the table to join Hermione, while Ron went about stunning every Death Eater who was still moving.

“Hermione! Are you all right?” Harry cried, grabbing her into a hug while simultaneously pulling off his robe to drape it over her. With no immediate threats remaining, the adrenaline rush that had been driving her during the fight subsided, and she collapsed into his arms, shaking uncontrollably.

Over her shoulder Harry caught Ron’s eye, then turned to where Snape was standing by the entrance to the room, somewhat in shock at what the four of them had just accomplished. Thirtysome Death Eaters had been taken out, including five of the most deadly. Knowing that Potter had good reason to turn on him at any moment, and not wishing to give him time to come to that decision, Snape quickly began issuing instructions.

“Weasley, go bring up Ollivander. Potter, see to Granger, make sure she’s able to travel.”

Harry had no need to be told to do that; she was already foremost in his thoughts. But there was still the matter of getting out of the deadly manor. Snape also anticipated this question.

“I have a portkey already prepared. It will take you to a deserted mill by a river in an empty part of a rundown muggle town. From there you can apparate to wherever you wish. I suggest that you obtain medical attention for Ollivander as soon as possible. I’ll take care of things here.”

Harry quickly contacted Bill again, telling him they were finished and to return to the cottage. As Ron appeared at the top of the stairs, levitating the unmoving form of the old wandmaker before him, Harry stared into Snapes eyes for a few seconds. While he wanted more than anything to blast the evil bastard to bits, he couldn’t risk it. He now had no doubt that Snape would strike back at Hermione if he attacked, and in her current state she was in no condition to defend herself.

“This isn’t over yet,” he snarled. Pulling Hermione more tightly against himself with one hand, he caught the portkey that Snape tossed at him (an empty potions bottle) with the other. Ron took hold of Ollivander and put his other hand on the bottle and nodded. Harry touched his wand to the portkey and the foursome vanished from the room.

With the only sound in the room the water trickling from the now destroyed fountain, Snape walked from one end to the other, taking in all the dead and unconscious wizards, and one particularly despicable witch. Bellatrix had either bled to death or would shortly. Lucius Malfoy and Macnair would likely not recover from their burns, as they’d been stunned before they could extinguish themselves completely. Draco Malfoy, along with both Crabbes and both Goyles, was already dead, as were most of the others who’d been crushed under the falling chandelier. Granger had been merciless in her retaliation. About half of those caught in Weasley’s explosions were dead, and the rest injured. Overall it had been a stunning defeat for the Dark Lord.

But what was his next course of action? He’d completed his last assignment from Dumbledore, but neither side of the conflict would ever trust him now, if anyone were to leave this room alive. Both sides would want him dead. That left only one choice.

“Avada Kedavra! Avada Kedavra!” Carefully, methodically, he cast the killing curse on every body in the room, calling upon the hatred that had fueled his existence for the past twenty years. Hatred of what the Dark Lord had made him do. “Avada Kedavra!” Hatred of what Dumbledore had made him do. “Avada Kedavra!” Hatred of the fates that had conspired against him, denying him any happiness in his life. “Avada Kedavra! Avada Kedavra!”

Once he’d finished, a thought occurred to him of a way that he could strike another damaging blow against the Dark Lord, and at the same time take a parting shot at the family who had always looked down their noses at him. Striding purposefully through the opulent pureblood mansion, he cast the same charm at four strategic locations. Fiendfyre!

Back in the drawing room, he paused to regard the fearsome blaze, its flames seeming to come alive as some ravenous beast, consuming everything in its path. Now he had but one spell left to cast. He placed his wand against his chest.

The Unforgivable Curses, particularly the Killing Curse, required your heart to be filled with hatred to be most effective.

Self-loathing was more than adequate.

“Avada Kedavra!”

-oooOOOooo-

Rose looked up at her mother with tears in her eyes. “Oh Mum, that was so horrible! It was nothing like that in the book!”

“No, she had to leave out most of that because it was considered a children’s book,” Hermione replied, pulling her daughter into a hug. “So she just wrote that Bellatrix tortured me. Although the words don’t even come close to describing how awful a Cruciatus curse feels.” She frowned at the recollection. “The other annoying thing about that chapter was how useless she made Ron appear, having him just standing there not doing anything except screaming my name over and over. Without him, and the sound tactical decisions he made, we wouldn’t have made it out of there alive.”

Rose nodded and then looked up at her mother sadly, the more critical revelation of the evening now on her mind. “So that’s how Daddy lost his memory?” Hermione nodded solemnly.

“I looked it up immediately afterward, of course. It was a modified version of a potion called the Fidelity Potion,” she explained. “It was designed to be used for arranged marriages, when one of the participants was in love with someone else. It would erase that love from their minds. Snape modified it somehow so that it wiped out everything Harry loved.” She paused to brush her own tears away. “He fought it off for a while, but eventually we lost him.”

Rose climbed onto her mother’s lap and wrapped her arms around her. “You still really miss him don’t you Mummy?”

“Every single day,” Hermione replied with a sigh. “More than you can imagine.”

“He’ll get better someday, Mummy, I just know he will. You’re the smartest witch in the whole world; you’ll figure out a way to bring him back.”

Hermione tried to blink away the tears filling her eyes again, and hugged her daughter even tighter. “I hope you’re right, sweetheart.”

-xox-XOX-XOX-xox-